DAYTON – The University of Dayton Athletics Department held the 14th annual R.U.D.Y.S. awards banquet Monday night at the Roger Class Center on campus.  The event included the 19th annual presentation of the Presidential Scholar-Athlete Awards by the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes.
 
R.U.D.Y.S is hosted by the UD Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Dayton Athletics administration for the student-athletes to recognize individuals and teams for their accomplishments this past year.
 
R.U.D.Y.S. stands for Recognition and celebration of University of Dayton student-athletes Year-end Showcase.
 
The 2026 award winners were as follows:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Winners – Simone Bessong and Mikkel Madsen

Nominees – 

Women

Men

RISING STAR

Winners – Liv Grenda and Kamryn Hunt; Luke Kahle

Nominees –

Women

Men

STUDENT-ATHLETE UNSUNG HERO

Winners – Madelyn Fricano and Sturle Skigelstrand

Nominees –

Women

Men

STAFF UNSUNG HERO

Winner – Mark Thobe, Coordinator of Strength and Conditioning

SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD

Winners – Maya Murray and AJ Schuller

Nominees –  

MOST SPIRITED

Winners – Eleanor Monyek and Makai Grant

Nominees –

The Rev. Charles L. Collins Outstanding Citizenship Award was donated by Joseph Zusman, '65, this award recognizes an individual student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding citizenship.
Recipient - Shantavia Dawkins, Women's Basketball

The Charles R. Kendall Award for Athletic and Academic Achievement was donated by Mrs. Charles R. Kendall and friends, this award recognizes an individual student-athlete who has demonstrated achievement in academic and athletic effort.
Recipient - Ella Raimondi, Women's Soccer

The Award of Excellence is an award that recognizes an individual student-athlete who has demonstrated achievement in academic and athletic effort in women's basketball and/or volleyball.
Recipient – Liana Sarkissian, Volleyball

It was also announced that an incredible 210 student-athletes earned at least a 3.5 GPA during the fall or spring semesters in 2025.  Of those, there were 71 perfect 4.0s.

The Dayton All-Academic Team (Highest GPA for each program)

The OASSA Academic Cup was presented to the team with the highest cumulative grade point average combined over the spring and fall semesters. This year's recipient is women's golf with a cumulative GPA of 3.8058.

The Flyer Challenge award is presented to the team that is most involved as a group in community service, participation in personal and educational development initiatives, and in supporting their fellow teams. This year's recipient is the women's track and field program. 

MOST OUTSTANDING LEADER

Winners – Nicole Stephens; Ben Huefner and Bobby Stang

Nominees –

Women

Men

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE

Winners – Noah Clemens and Izzy Kemp

Nominees –

RUDY Award, the most prestigious award of the night which goes to the person who most epitomizes what it means to be a Flyer.

Winners – Jadyn Haywood and Owen Pukys

Nominees –

Women

Men

In addition, the 2026-27 executive board of SAAC was announced:

Chairs

President: AJ Schuller (football)

Vice President/A-10 rep: Kylee Heidemann (women's golf)

Admin: Deirdre Flaherty (softball)

ADCOM: Mikkel Zinder (men's tennis) and Mackenzie Russell (women's soccer)

Social Media: Bre Mendoza (women's soccer)

Rudy's/Social: Tamia Hameed / Gianna Lane (women's track and field)

Flyer Challenge: Lily Kuebler (women's rowing)

Wellness: Anna Newkirk (women's cross country)

Community Service: Addy Justice (softball) / Mackenzie Russell (women's soccer)

Diversity and Inclusion: Maya Murray (women's rowing)

A special thanks to all who made this year's event possible, including the Varsity D Club who provided this year's senior canvases.